CHICAGO – When it was announced that he’d suffered a left shoulder injury that included a dislocation and partially torn ligaments, many wondered how long the Bears’ top quarterback would be out of the lineup.
Would it just be a week? Would the team choose to shut him down longer since they’re not fighting for a playoff spot in their final five games of the season? Would they even decide to wait till after the bye week just to give him more rest?
Nope.
Justin Fields’ absence from the Bears’ lineup will only be one week as he’s been medically cleared to start against the Packers at Soldier Field on Sunday. He only ended up missing the contest against the Jets last Sunday at Met Life Stadium with the injury he suffered on the final drive of a Week 11 loss to the Falcons.
This allows Fields to continue what has been a positive second season in the NFL where his ability to run the football has elevated the Bears’ offense over the past month and a half.
While he returns to the lineup, two Bears’ defensive secondary starters, Jaquan Brisker and Kyler Gordon, remain out as they remain in concussion protocol. That doesn’t help a defense that has struggled mightily for the majority of the 2022 season, especially since the trades of Robert Quinn and Roquan Smith.
These notes were part of this week’s “Monster’s Mash” on “The 9-Yard Line’ on WGN News Now as we took a look at a few storylines for the Bears ahead of another match-up with the rival Packers.
You can watch the full video notebook in the video above.